Memoirs Bound to Each Other
by siriusmoonlite
Summary: Remus Lupin recalls several different stories in his life with Sirius.
1. Chapter 1 Bound to Each Other

**Title:** Bound to Each Other  
**disclaimer** The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary: **Sirius and Remus are living at #12 during the time of OOTP. Young Remus has an obsession with marking what is his.

Sirius and Remus were bathed in sweat, Remus still curled over Sirius, who was spent. Leaning forward slightly, Remus kissed the back of Sirius' neck, only then allowing him to get off his knees.

Remus rolled over and laid on his back, Sirius resting his head under Remus' chin. His nails moving slowly up his spine, Remus kissed the top of Sirius' head.

In the past weeks, their lovemaking had become more forceful, reckless and abandoned than normal. These were dangerous times. Voldemort had returned.

"Give me a few minutes, Remy and then we can have another go." Siri closed his eyes and to Remus' dismay, was soon fast asleep. Remus knew they were no longer the young lovers they once were, but he craved Siri, he needed him, needed the assurance that he would never leave him again. The danger he and Siri were facing was haunting him, entering his dreams. He wanted to wake Siri, make love to him again, so hard that the pain in his heart would stop.

He looked lovingly at Sirius and stroked his long curtain of dark hair, now damp with sweat. Both men now breathing in unison, as they normally did after making love. Sirius snored lightly and bent his knees, putting him into a loose curl, revealing the crescent moon tattoo on his left pelvic bone. Remus reached down with his left hand and ran his middle finger along that tattoo, almost caressing it. At the same time, running the middle finger of his right hand along the matching dog star tattoo on his own right pelvic bone.

He smiled and bent his neck forward to kiss the top of his lover's head, remembering the time, so many years ago when they had first been marked with moon and star...

It was early morning during their 6th year at Hogwarts. They were in Remus' bed, the red curtains closed tightly and a silencing charm in place.

Sirius, lying on his stomach, had just been awakened and was still drowsy, disturbed way too early from his sleep. "mmmph….huh?…wha….morning luv," he said turning his head and looking at Remus. He laid his head back down, closing his eyes.  
.  
He felt a slight tickling across his back and shoulders. Remus, quill in hand, had traced his feet on Sirius' back and was now embellishing the words "Property of RJ Lupin" across his shoulders.

"Sorry Siri, did I wake you?" He really had meant to wake Sirius, but now felt bad about it, just the same.

"Sright Remy." Sirius yawned.

Remus continued, drawing designs down, along Sirius' spine, ending at his tail bone.

"Luv, not the cheeks today, ok? I know where this is ending up. So why doncha just get on with it?"

Remus' face grew hot as he began to blush. Taking the initiative in any situation was a very recent thing to him, not that he couldn't, just that it had been more comfortable to be an active player. Things were different with Sirius, though. Since their first kiss, Remus knew what he wanted, to possess Sirius. After all, Sirius was his.

He locked his fingers in Sirius' hair and pulled Sirius' head away from the pillow. As Sirius turned over, Remus cradled Siri's head with his hand. Pulling his head forward, he kissed Sirius, running his tongue across Siri's lower lip. Sirius opened his mouth. Remus' tongue crossed the threshold and Sirius sighed, sucking that intruder deeply into his mouth. Remus willed his tongue to grow longer and then that he was all tongue. He longed to climb inside that mouth and explore every inch. Instead he broke away and again picked up the quill.

"Go for it Michelangelo!" Sirius closed his eyes and bit his bottom lip, spread his legs and sighed, already trembling, yet readying himself for what was coming.

Sirius' inner thigh now Remus' canvas, he began drawing the crescent moon. But as he could barely hold the quill, the lines were wavy.

"Damn, Remus, finish already, would ya!" Sirius didn't mind the feeling, but was growing tired of getting claimed. Looking down he began to laugh, "What's that you've drawn? An every flavoured bean? No, a smile? Lol, good work Remy."

Remus smiled, "Well, **I** know what it is. Anyway, you've screwed up the mood. This is no laughing matter." "Finished!"

He looked down and began to laugh. "Damn Siri," he smiled as he laid down atop his lover. He kissed Sirius' collarbone, then open mouthed, teeth bared, slowly moved to his ear, tasting every inch of skin along the way. He explored every crevace of Sirius' ear, finally sucking his lobe. Sirius trembled, his breathing now coming in shallow puffs.

"Siri," he whispered as he pressed his body more firmly against Sirius, who moved involuntarily against him. "We could make it permanent, you know. No interruptions then."

Sirius turned his head slightly, trying his best to look stern through blank eyes. "I told you before Remus. No way."

Remus was encouraged by this. Last time he brought this up, he was called Lupin, not Remus. Siri was warming to the idea. Remus moved his head forward slightly and circled Sirius' nose with his own, moving his tongue along Sirius' lips. When Sirius did not budge, Remus looked hurt. His eyes became damp and he buried face beneath Sirius' chin, saying in his best apologetic voice, "I'm sorry Siri. I didn't mean to upset you, b-but…." He looked up at Sirius with sad eyes.

"Quit it Remus. I know what you're doing."

"Siri, pulleeeeze, just this one little thing. It would mean so much to me," and he moved his body even more firmly against Sirius', continually readjusting his position slightly.

Sirius knew he couldn't resist this much longer, that he was close to breaking, to promising Remus anything. And he knew Remus was fully aware of this. Damn werewolf, having to physically claim him. He had to come up with a plan to squelch the idea of a permanent tattoo.

A wide smile appeared on his face. "OK Remy, I'll get the tattoo."

Remus looked at him suspiciously. Something was up.

"Really Remy. I'll get the tattoo, but not on the thigh; on the pelvic bone. I'll get the tattoo, on one condition. If you're going to claim me, I get to claim you. If I get a crescent moon tattoo, you get a dog star one."

Remus moved slightly away from Sirius. A tattoo on his body? He had never thought of that before. Would he let Sirius make that kind of claim on him?

"Fair is fair, Remy. If you claim me, I claim you. If I get a tattoo, you get your tattoo right here." And he pressed his fingers against Remus' pelvic bone, smiling broadly, apparently sure that Remus would at last forget the idea.

"Gotcha," Remus thought. Knowing full well the price he would pay, he smiled at his lover, a glint in his eyes, "So Siri, when do we get them?"

Sirius' jaw dropped and he looked wide eyed. "Well..er..um. Tomorrow?"

Remus again locked his fingers in Sirius' hair, cupped the back of his head and forcefully drew him forward. "Siri, you're such an arse."

"Maybe so, but a very cute one."

Happy that Sirius again had his mouth open, Remus slid his tongue inside. "Well, we'll soon see," he thought as he moved fingers down Sirius' spine.

Next morning, after ducking James and Peter, Remus and Sirius were off to get their tattoos. Remus walked, hands in pockets, dreading what he was about to do, only half listening. Sirius was turned around walking backwards, in front of Remus facing him.

Sirius had warmed to the idea. "You know Remy, this is way cool. We need to get them on the opposite sides so that they touch when we are making love. Well they won't always touch, but good enough. Mine'll go on my left side and yours on your right." He paused, waiting for some response from Remus, when none came, he began again. "While we're in Hogsmead we need to shop for a few other things. Got a few ideas to go with the new markings, one you will especially like. Whatcha say? And then we may….."  
Remus was amazed at how someone could literally skip backwards and talk nonstop at the same time.

A little later, they walked out of the salon, a great deal sorer than when they went in, yet they held each other close, walking slowly home, trying their best not to stop in the middle of the road and kiss. Those tattoos had bound them closer than they had ever been, an outward sign of what they knew in their hearts; dog and wolf, marked, belonging to each other.

That night, their lovemaking was the most passionate ever, even if the tattoos were still painful. That was the beginning of many months of happiness that neither of them had thought possible.

Remus came back from his memories, back to the present, wishing he could have stayed there with Sirius, never to grow older. But then he looked down at his lover, whose mouth was slightly open, a bit of drool escaping from the corner of his mouth onto Remus' chest.

He recalled the years of sorrows and grief, emotional hurts and wrongs they had inflicted on each other, many would never fully heal. Waves of emotion came over him. Smiling at the spot on top of Siri's head where his scalp showed through thinning hair, he knew definitely that they were no longer young, no longer innocents.

Remus sighed, eyes damp. He loved this man, Sirius Black. He was content with his life and would want it no other way.


	2. Chapter 2 Remus Gives a Speech

**Title:** Remus Gives a Speech  
**disclaimer **The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary:** To his dismay Remus has been chosen to give a speech in front of the entire school. His friends do their best to calm him and help him through this trying time.

Here is the story:

It was the end of the class and Remus sat silently, waiting for Professor McGonagall to hand him his graded essay. These essays were important, they were end of term essays. End of term essays were required for each subject you took. The person handing in the best essay in a subject would sit at the head table during a special banquet. They would read their essay aloud to the entire school.

As he watched McGonagall walking up and down the aisles, he wondered whether it would be James or Sirius who would give the speech. They were the best transfiguration students in the school and always got top marks. How wonderful it would be to see Siri up in front of everyone. He deserved it, after all. He was so wonderful and so talented. He was Padfoot. Remus imagined Padfoot's warm tongue licking his face and ears. Yes, no one deserved it more than Siri.

"Good try Mr. Potter. However, you may want to check a few facts". She said as she handed James his essay. "Just an 'E', I'm afraid."

She handed Sirius back his paper and scowled, "Mr. Black, the points you made were very good. However, an essay is to be written in complete sentences. I expect this to be rewritten and handed back to me in one week. You are just fortunate I felt a bit generous when I read this. I have marked it as adequate."

As she walked towards Remus, her face brightened and she smiled. She actually smiled! "And here is the reason that I felt generous. There is one person in this class who really spent the time on this assignment. It is the best essay I have read in years. Mr. Lupin, an excellent essay. I have informed the headmaster that your essay has won the contest. The only outstanding that I gave for any of my end of term essays."

"No!" he thought to himself as he stared at the O at the top of his paper. How could he have won? He and Siri had done their essays together. It was Siri who read it over and corrected it. It was Siri who should be at the banquet, up at the head table giving a speech, not him. He shuddered as he thought, 'giving a speech'. He closed his eyes, leaned forward, his face flat on his desk blocking out everything that was happening around him. He needed to concentrate, come up with some reason he should not have received this grade. After the class was dismissed, he would go up to Professor McGonagall and explain. She would choose someone else for this 'honor'.

The bell rang, and, as usual the students gathered their books and hurried from the classroom. Remus stood up slowly, going over what he was going to tell the professor.

"Lupin, I would like a word," called McGonagall in a voice loud enough to be heard above the students.

Lupin laid his book bag back down, put his hands in his pockets and walked slowly up to her desk. He felt nauseous.

"And Mr. Black, you will wait for him outside, if you please."

Sirius must have walked out the door, but Remus didn't look to see.

As you know, the banquet is tomorrow night. That will give you ample time to memorize your essay. You will be allowed to read from your paper, but will find it easier if you have put it to memory. You should also practice reciting your essay aloud to another student. Do you have someone who will listen to you recite?"

Remus nodded, looking at the floor. The hands in his pockets were now fists and his nails were digging into his palms. He needed to say something. He cleared his throat slightly.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin? You wanted to say something?"

"It's about my essay. I don't deserve the grade, professor."

Professor McGonagall look at him, puzzled. "Go on Mr. Lupin."

"Well," Remus wished he had a gift with words the way that Sirius had. Sirius would know exactly what to say. "I had help with it. Sirius and I worked together. He knows lots more that I do about transfiguration. He should give the essay."

She leaned towards him, her voice quieter, softer. "Remus, I know very well how much you know about transfiguration. And I know how well Mr. Black usually does in my class. But it is you who turned in the winning essay, not Mr. Black."

Leaning back her voice back to normal. "So I am expecting you to give your essay, not Mr. Black." Remus thought he detected a sigh of relief in her voice. He couldn't imagine why she would be relieved at that. Why would she be? Siri deserved to be there. He imagined Siri sitting at the table next to Professor McGonagall, bored with everything. But Siri wouldn't pull anything at a banquet. Or would he?

His friends met him as he stepped outside the room.

"Remy, great work! Knew you could do it!" Siri beamed and walked beside him.

"Ye, great work," laughed James, "And you giving the speech. I can't wait to see that." Sirius smirked, a tear coming from his eye as he tried not to laugh.

"Ouch!" exclaimed Siri, having just been hit across the back of the head. "Remy, why'd you do that?"

"Why?….Why?…. You prat. You…" He couldn't find the right word. "Well you know."

"What did I do?"

"You know. Just leave me alone!" and he walked quickly, outpacing the other three.

"Remus?" asked Sirius speeding up walk along side him. He had not realized how upset Remus actually was. He turned around and gave James a nasty look as if to say, "would you shut up?"

"Remus, what's wrong? Tell me what I did." And he put his arm around Remus, paying no attention to Peter and James' whistles. When would they grow up?

"Remy, talk to me." Siri whispered as he reached down and put his finger to the place where the dog star tattoo was burned into Remus' skin, the material in Remus' robe between him and the tattoo. Remus sighed, a bit less nervous now. He belonged to Siri and knew that Siri would help him through this.

"Get a room Sirius," snorted James. Peter was almost doubled over.

When they reached the entrance hall Sirius made a hard right and headed for the front door rather than following Peter and James down the stairway to their left. "Don't take too long, Siri. You'll be late for potions."

Remus was being led out the front door and across the grounds. "Sirius, we can't be late for class."

"Hang class," said Siri quickening his pace and holding more firmly to Remus. He didn't stop until they reached their favorite beech tree. Sirius sat down taking Remus with him. Remus sat cross legged in front of him, leaning on Siri's chest. "Now, why are you upset at me? Tell me what I did." He wound his fingers through Remus' hair. When Remus didn't reply, Siri ran his fingertips through the crevices of Remus' ear and pulled at his lobe. "I must have done something. What was it?"

"Yes hang class," thought Remus and he gently removed Siri's arms from him. Siri's face fell. What had he done to make Remus so angry at him?

His arms now free, Remus reached back and, through Siri's robes, firmly stroked that crescent moon tattoo. Taken aback for one moment only, a smirk came onto Siri's face. He turned around to make sure no one was around. Remus sensed Siri checking for onlookers and he immediately turned and knelt in front of him, entangling Siri's hair in his fingers and pulling his head around, cradled his head in his hand and forced Siri towards him, kissing him. Siri reached up and grabbed Rumus behind the neck, sinking nails into skin. He trembled, meeting Remus' tongue as it entered his mouth, caressing it with his own. Then he felt Remus' hand at his collar, tearing the tie from his neck…..

A while later,Sirius sat, back against the tree, smoking. Remus sighed and sat in front of Siri, curled up with his head under Siri's chin. It was only then that they realized classes had just finished and students were coming outside. "Oh bugger," Siri reached down and picked up Remus' robe, covering them both. But neither of them moved. Siri held Remus' head tightly under his chin. "I have a bit of gold left. Think there is enough for some new dress robes. You will look wonderful up there. Nothing but the best for my werewolf." At the words 'up there' Remus trembled. Siri wrapped his arms tightly around Remus. "Not to worry luv, not to worry." Remus smiled. Everything seemed much better now.

A few seconds later his head was shaken by a rumbling in Siri's chest. Siri was laughing. "Remy, you gotta admit. It is a bit funny."

The time had come. The banquet in the great hall would soon be starting. Remus was been very thankful to his friends for doing their best to keep him calm and to Siri for helping him with his essay, but he felt sick. He was unable to get comfortable in his favorite cushy chair in front of the fire. He sat cross legged on the ground, scratching the finish from the wooden floor with his thumbnail.

The portrait door opened Sirius came inside. "Ta da da da !" he exclaimed, holding out his arm. A royal purple velvet dress robe was draped over it. In his hand, he carried a brown paper sack.

"You are gonna look fine tonight, Remy, show them all up," he said. And he took two bottles of butterbeer from the sack. "Something to give you a bit of on."

He held a beer towards Remus. Remus took one, popped the cap and took a drink. He did feel a bit better. Putting the bottle to his lips again, he finished the rest in one. Sirius held out the other bottle. Remus stood up, took the robe from Siri, grabbed the bottle and ran upstairs to get ready.

The head table had been covered with a white linen tablecloth that reached to the floor. There was a garland of ivy draped across the front. The plates were of fine white porcelain, circled with gold. Everything looked very festive.

Remus sat at the table, Professor McGonagall to his left, the headmaster to his right. He wished that the feast would hurry up and begin so that he could just get this over with. Why did Sirius choose such a hot robe? He was burning up. Maybe he would feint from the heat.

Finally, the headmaster stood up and smiled, "Welcome everyone. I have been told to say a few words before we start our banquet. But, first it is my pleasure to introduce the additions to our table this evening." He turned to his right, "Severus Snape, who submitted a most excellent potions essay." Clapping came from the Slytherin table, and a few boos and what sounded like someone vomiting came from the Gryffindors. Professor McGonagall gave a stern look towards the students from her house and they became quiet. "Remus Lupin, whose transfiguration essay was outstanding. I learned a few new things when I read it." There was an outpouring of applause, not only from the Gryffindors, but from the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws as well. Above the clapping Remus heard a whistle, then an 'ow ow ow' , as if a dog was yelping, and then feet stomping. Dumbledore smiled and went on. "Cecily Trumble for her….."

The introductions complete, the headmaster sat down and food magically appeared on the tables. Everyone was happily eating; everyone except Remus, who had his essay in his robe pocket, continually pulling it out and unfolding it so that he could reread. But all he saw were words on paper. They didn't make sense. He thought he would vomit if he opened his mouth.

He felt feint, as if he were going to pass out. Maybe he would. His whole body felt funny. Even his ankle felt warm.

Wait a minute. Only one ankle felt warm and it felt a bit wet too. The warm wetness seemed to be moving up his left calf, a blunt scratching moving along with it. "Oh no," he thought. "He wouldn't. Not here." Hands grasped both his legs, pulling them apart. The warm wet something had passed his knees and was moving up his thigh. "Oh yes he would." He had to stop this, he couldn't allow this to continue, but he could think of no way to prevent Siri from doing just what he wanted. His face hot, he bit his bottom lip and let out a loud sigh.

"Mr. Lupin?" came McGonagall's voice. "Are you ill?"

Remus nodded.

"Well then go and lie down for a bit. You have an hour before you need to give your recitation. Mr. Potter can get you when it's time."

The hands released Remus' legs. He readjusted his robes, leaned against the table to steady himself and stood up, making his way slowly across the room. As soon as he crossed the threshold, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him towards the staircase. "Excellent! Let's go Remy."

Remus laughed as they ran towards the dorms. This was one of the things he adored about Siri. He could never predict what he would do next.

"Didn't think you would last another minute up there, luv."

They nearly fell through entrance to the common room took a few steps and stumbled to the floor, not even attempting to make it up the staircase to the dorms.

This time, when that 'something' moved up Remus' leg, it didn't stop at his thigh. In fact soon Remus was literally surrounded in warm wetness as Siri took him in. Reaching down with his right hand, Remus dug his nails into Siri's shoulder, wrapping the fingers of his left hand tightly in Siri's hair, literally pulling it from its roots. He cradled the back of Siri's head, following his every movement. He longed to bite Siri, to possess him, to turn himself around, to make love to him…..

Fourty minutes and a few clothes cleaning and pressing charms later, Sirius, Remus and James walked through the opening to the hallway, the portrait closing behind them. Sirius was staring at Remus as they walked. "What?" asked Remus.

Sirius smiled and winked at Remus, "I picked out the perfect robes for you Remy. You look wonderful."

Remus sighed and reached out, taking Siri's hand. Calmed, they walked together, forward, facing the inevitable


	3. Chapter 3 A Moonlit Christmas

**Title:** A Moonlit Christmas  
**disclaimer** The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary:** In the days prior to a full moon Christmas, James, Remus and Sirius stay together at the Three Broomsticks

Here is the story:

It was Friday the twenty second of December. Hogwarts students had gone home for Christmas break. Monday was Christmas. More importantly, Monday was the day after full moon.

Most students would be celebrating the holiday with their families, going to bed after a Christmas eve of eggnog and carols, waking up to presents and a large Christmas meal, but not Remus. He would be waking up in the shrieking shack, tired and aching.

The marauders usually stayed with Remus during his transformations and this month would not be much different. Yet, Sirius would not hear of Remus being stuck in the castle over the holiday. He had 'taken care of everything'. James, Sirius and Remus were to stay in Hogsmead, James going home on Christmas day. Sirius and Remus were going to Sirius' house as soon as Remus felt like traveling. Peter's mother insisted he be home for the holiday, so he would not be with the others.

**At the Three Broomsticks**

James unlocked the door and the three friends walked into the dark attic room above the Three Broomsticks. He fumbled for the string and pulled it.

The lone light bulb hanging from the ceiling shone onto a small single bed, casting shadows onto the dusty wooden floor. An orange and yellow blocked quilt was tucked tightly around a mattress that sagged through worn springs. The feather pillow lay half off the bed as there was no headboard. At the foot was a cedar chest with extra blankets piled on top.

One could take three steps either side of the bed before running into the wall. In the corner was a washstand with a pitcher and bowl.

"Told you I'd take care of everything," smiled Sirius.

Remus was not so sure about this. Why did Sirius pick this room? The dust would probably make him sneeze all night and there didn't seem to be any comfortable place to sleep. How was he supposed to rest up before full moon?

Sirius had been unpleasantly surprised at how little 'room' his money would buy. His uncle had left him a bit of gold last year, but most of it was gone. His new house had taken most of it, but he had bought that purple velvet robe for Remus last year. He and Remus had bought several new outfits as well, including the leather they were now wearing. This room took the last of Sirius' money, not counting the bit that he saved back for their celebration.

"Sirius, how should we do this?" asked Remus as he moved into the room, the bed creaked as he sat down. "Can't all three get the bed."

"Remus, you get the bed. You will have trouble enough settling down to sleep for the next two nights. James and I will take the floor."

They used blankets from the cedar chest to make up sleeping areas on the floor to each side of the bed. James was to sleep on the floor on the far side of the bed and Sirius would sleep just inside the door.

"Let's get the party started," Sirius said excitedly. "Drinks on me!"

James flung open the door and hurried down the stairs, "I'll get us a table."

Sirius sat next to Remus on the bed, a look of apology in his eyes. Putting his arm around his lover, he stroked the leather directly above the place where Remus had the dog star tattoo burned into him. "Don't worry Remy. I'll take care of you, trust me. And we'll have fun too."

He stood up and held his hand out. "Shall we go, luv?" Remus took Sirius' hand and stood up. The two walked out of the room and down the steps hand in hand, on their way to meet up with James.

**In The Bar**

The December wind blew through the room as the girls entered, squeezed their way through the crowd and sat at the bar. Snape glanced up and then quickly looked back at his drink. Cloaks removed and drinks poured, the two looked around, giggling and commenting to each other on every male in the place.

A few feet away, at a small wooden table, James, Remus and Sirius sat playing cards. The pile of sickles in front of James was at least twice that of Remus and Sirius' combined. Sirus laid two cards face down on the table, "I'll take two."

As James dealt Sirius his cards he asked, "Ellen sure is pretty, dontcha think?" When Sirius ignored him, he continued, "And Tina. Wouldn't you just love to have a go at her?"

Almost as if it were rehearsed, in unison, Remus and Sirius took their eyes off their cards, glanced across the table at each other, rolled their eyes to the ceiling, took a deep drink of butterbeer, then stared back at their cards.

"Well Sirius, don't you think Tina is beautiful?"

Not looking from his cards, Sirius said flatly, "Yes, James, she's beautiful."

"And Ellen, whatcha think of her?"

Sirius took another swig of butterbeer, but kept looking at his cards. "She's beautiful too."

James looked around and spotted a tall dark haired woman. "What about Angie?"

"She's very beautiful. Now can we quit with the small talk and get to playing cards. I want to win some of this back."

James would not be deflected. He continued, "Lupin, if you could choose any of the girls in the school, who would it be?"

Sirius looked up from his cards, straight at James as if he wanted to thump him. "Did you mean if he **could** choose or if he **had** to choose?"

"OK, if he had to choose. Lupin if you could not have this bloke and had to choose a girl, who would it be?"

Remus was concentrating on resorting the cards in his hand and did not answer. He knew full well who it would be and he wasn't going to tell James.

"Enough James, leave Remy alone."

"OK…then…Sirius, which girl would you pick?" A low growl could be heard coming from the Remus' direction.

Sirius had about had enough. "Ok James. Don't think I'd pick. Like to shag every girl in the school and then once they came up for air shag them a second time. Good 'nuff?" He downed his butterbeer and looked disgustedly at the bottle. "Now, I vote to move this game to the Hogshead. We can get a decent drink there."

"No Sirius, I think we should stay here," said James a bit nervously.

Sirius snorted, "What' s up James, afraid Lily will find out?" Then, after a bit of thought, "I got another idea. Let's move the party upstairs. You two go up now and I'll meet you in a bit."

Sirius stood up and rushed out of the bar.

**Back in the room**

"Ta da da da," sang Sirius as he stepped through the bedroom door, carrying a large brown paper sack.

He joined James and Remus who were sitting on the floor atop Sirius' blankets. He took two bottles from the sack and stood them on the floor, "Whiskey ala Dung Fletcher." He reached into the sack again and pulled out a shotglass, placing it in front of the bottles.

"Only one?" asked James.

"One is all we need." Sirius said with a smile, "only one of us will be drinking at a time."

"Got something else here." Sirius reached into the sack a third time and pulled out two cigars. "One for you, James. And one for Remy and me."

"Now, pass me the cards James. As you dealt last time, it is now my turn."

James reluctantly passed Sirius the cards.

A glint in his eye, Sirius continued,"Well, since James has been so kind as to relieve me of my excess coinage, we need to play for something else. This time we play for drinks. The person who wins the hand will pour a shot and pass it to the person of their choice…..agreed?"

Remus smiled and nodded. He was only too happy to play this game, as he could drink both James and Sirius under the table.

"OK, Sirius. Get ready to end up pissed." James smirked confidently.

"Just one to get us started." As the whiskey was poured, the 'M' etched into the glass could be seen clearly. Remus wondered which unfortunate family was one shot glass poorer tonight.

Putting the glass to his lips, Sirius downed the shot. He refilled the glass and handed it to Remus, who likewise, downed it, tossing the glass back to Sirius. Once more Sirius poured, this time handing it to James, who emptied the glass as well.

James lit his cigar and took a puff, leaning back and exhaling slowly. Sirius took a puff on his Cuban tobacco and leaned across the 'table' towards Remus, who kissed Sirius and opened his mouth. Tongue and smoke entering at the same time, Remus inhaled both.

When they finally separated, Sirius stopped and pressed his forehead to Remus'. He quickly 'kissed' Remus' bottom lip a few times. Looking mischievously into Remus' eyes, he raised his eyebrows twice. Taking one last kiss, Sirius moved away and sat back down ready to play cards. Remus smiled expectantly. Sirius was up to something.

A few hands later, Sirius was handing James another shot. This was the eighth time in a row that James had lost. Putting the glass to his lips, he spilled a bit as he missed his mouth. James placed the almost full shot glass back on the floor and watched, glassy eyed as Sirius and Remus shared another puff from the cigar. "Ya know. I'd never have thought it."

"Thought what?" asked Sirius, now sucking Remus' bottom lip again.

"You know."

Sirius looked at James, warily, "What do I know?"

"The two of you….that you ended up….well."

"What did we end up James?"

"Thought it was a phase. You know… you'd get tired of it."

Sirius kept a straight face. "I was wondering what was going on downstairs. You prat. I just thought you were missing Lily. Thought you might be feeling a bit lonely, looking at all the girls. Was gonna offer to help you out." He glanced quickly towards Remus, and noticed the corners of Remus' mouth twitching slightly. Sirius himself was having trouble not breaking out in a laugh.

Remus crawled over the 'table' and sat next to Sirius, kissing him under the ear.

"Don't think Remus would mind helping you out. Since we are all so close together in this room and since Remy and I will be shagging in a bit, thought it may be nice if you join us. Know Remy wouldn't mind…"

'Glad to have you James," smiled Remus. He then began unbuttoning Sirius' shirt while sucking his ear lobe. The shirt was now opened Remus licked Sirius' chest with long definite sweeps.

"See James, a threesome, Whatcha say? Wanna shag with the poofters?"

James downed the shot and swayed, unable to sit straight. Standing up on each side of him and holding James under his arm. Remus and Sirius helped him to his feet and led him to Remus' bed. "Up you go James." As Remus tucked the quilt around him, James fell fast asleep.

"Siri, why did James lose every game? What did you do?"

Sirius grinned proudly, "The question is not how James lost every game here; it is how he won every game downstairs."

"Hell, I knew James was using marked cards downstairs. That's how he won all my money. But he was getting on my nerves. Thought he needed to loosen up a bit. So when it was my turn to deal, I switched decks….Never thought he'd end up like this though."

"Now, let's go downstairs and finish our party. James'll be here when we get back."

Remus adjusted James' head on the pillow.

"He'll be fine Remus. Just needs to sleep a bit. Nothing we can do for him now."

"Come on Remy, let's go back downstairs and sit for awhile. Feel like a big celebration tonight."

Remus could think of nothing better than getting out of this small, dark room for awhile and expending some of this energy that always preceeded the full moon.

As they were headed downstairs, Remus laughed. "Marked cards Siri? Remind me never to play cards with you for money."

The lights had been turned out and the embers in the fireplace gave the bar the appearance of twilight. Sirius and Remus stood at the bottom of the steps. The Three Broomsticks seemed to be closed for the night.

Taking Remus' hand, Sirius led him across the floor and sat him at the same table they occupied earlier that evening, lighting the candle in the center. "Let's just have one drink, shall we?" Sirius walked over and removed a bottle of rum from behind the bar, leaving a few coins in its place.

Joining Remus at the table, Sirius took a large swig and handed him the bottle. "Sirius, where did you get that money?" said Remus suspiciously.

"Borrowed a little from James…..Don't look at me that way. I'll settle tomorrow. Anyway, James was cheating. Marked cards, remember?"

"Come on," whined Sirius. Remus shook his head, raised the bottle to his lips and drank.

Sirius' face brightened, " Want to see what else Dung had?"

Reaching into his pocket, Sirius pulled out two small black disks about the size of a galleon and placed them on the table.

"Music!" smiled Remus excitedly. "Are there more pirate songs? I liked the last ones you got."

"Pirated, Remy, not pirate…..anyway, Dung's source said we would like these."

Remus smiled and got ready for a romp. He was so thankful that he had a friend like Sirius. Remus knew that Sirius would rather just sit here and drink, but as Sirius wanted to take care of him and as Sirius knew Remus would enjoy this, Sirius was game.

Remus stood up and cleared his throat, "Hm…Hm…Hm".

He bowed. "Mr. Padfoot, would you care for a dance?"

Sirius curtsied. "Love to Mr. Moony. A silencing charm if you please."

"Glad to," and Remus waved his wand.

Sirius pointed his wand at a disk and it glowed, then out of the disk a deep voice said, "_An outstanding number called Joy to the World. Let's hear it for Three Dog Night_."

Sirius took another swig from the bottle.

"_Jeremiah was a bullfrog. Was a good friend of mine. Never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine…_."

"Bet you wouldn't mind a three dog night, wouldja Remy?"

"ayooooooooooooooooo" Remy answered, pointing his wand at the fireplace. Flames began leaping wildly inside the grate.

Sirius and Remus began dancing freely in a kind of uncontrolled way. Holding each other, twirling, no steps, doing whatever they felt, laughing.

"_If I were the king of the world. Tell you what I'd do. I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the wars, and make sweet love to you_."

Sirius stopped, held Remus close, cupped the back of his head and pulled him roughly to him, kissing him firmly, biting his bottom lip. Remus let out a growl, locked his hands in Sirius' hair and pulled his head back, breaking the kiss. He looked Sirius in the eye and ran his tongue along his teeth. Then he pushed away, picked up the bottle and had another swig and began dancing again.

"_You know I love the ladies, love to have my fun_…" Remus laughed and sprayed rum on Sirius' shirt, "they wish! Play something else. This is too bouncy."

Sirius looked toward the disk and the music changed. "_Carlos Santana and music from Abraxas..next up, Black Magic Woman._"

The rest of the evening passed in pure enjoyment, the dancing getting wilder, uncontrolled and unrestrained. The bottle of rum exhausted, another had been opened.

Sirius reached again for the bottle.

"noop. No more for you tonight." Remus snatched it away.

"Give it here."

"No way, you won't be worth a shit," and he backed up and moved quickly across the room.

Sirius ran after him, "Remy, come on."

Remus sat on the floor bottle in his hand, motioning for Sirius to come closer. Sirius knelt in front of Remus and Remus pulled him into a kiss. Opening his mouth so that Sirius could enter. Remus threw the bottle a few feet where it broke. But Sirius didn't seem to mind. Sirius pushed Remus to the floor and laid on top of him, pressing his hips firmly again Remus, tearing the buttons from his shirt.

"N-n- not here." Came a sound from Remus.

"mmmm?"

"the floor. Please…not on the floor."

Sirius picked Remus up in his arms and carried him a few steps, placing him on the bar.

"mirror Siri."

Sirius waved his wand and the mirror turned black with no reflection.

"music Siri"

Sirius waved his wand, pausing the music.

Climbing on the bar, Sirius knelt atop his lover, Remus tearing the buttons from Sirius' shirt, pulling both shirt and jacket off his shoulders and to his elbows. Sirius quickly removed both and leaned down to kiss Remus. This wouldn't do. He wanted to feel Remus' skin against his. Pulling Remus up by his collar, Sirius began frantically removing Remus' leather jacket. Remus kicked off his boots as he allowed Sirius to slip the jacket off his shoulders and down his arms. Soon their clothes were strewn across the barroom floor.

Sirius cupped the back of Remus' head and kissed him, pulled him down onto the bar and laid atop him, skin against skin. Remus took his tongue in deeply as Sirius moved slowly. Feeling the change in his lover, Sirius broke the kiss and sucked Remus' lips. He kissed Remus' neck and began slowly to move towards his chest and down his body. Finally reaching his goal, Sirius caressed him and took him in.

His breath coming more shallowly, Remus dug the nails of one hand into Sirius' shoulder and locked the fingers of his other hand in his hair, following Sirius' every move and willing him to caress him further, all the while fighting the urge to possess Sirius.

Finally, unable to control it any longer, Remus pulled Sirius' head roughly away and sat up. "Let me make love to you Siri."

Sirius raked the curtain of hair from his eyes, stretched his legs out and then knelt again on the counter. Remus knelt over him, kissing the nape of his neck and then open mouthed, tasted and kissed him as he moved down his spine. Sirius gasped when Remus remained stationary, continuing the kissing and tasting. Leaning over and opening the drawer behind the bar, Remus found the jar of cream that Mme Rosemerta used to soften her hands after tending bar and spread it over his fingers. Sirius let out a groan and held tightly to the edges of the countertop where it hung over the sides of the bar.

"Make love to me Remy," begged Sirius as he turned over. Remus handed him the pillow from Mme Rosemerta's stool and Sirius placed it under his hips. Siri lifted his legs towards his face, grabbing Remus' back and thigh as Remus knelt over him and made love to him.

A while later Remus laid across Sirius, his head resting on Sirius' chest. Sirius stroked Remus' sweaty hair and whispered, " I think we need to get up, luv."

"Just a bit longer, Siri."

Sirius slid from under Remus and attempted to sit up, falling off the bar and onto the floor. "ouch!"

Remus turned and looked down, "Are you OK?"

"Yes, just help me get up." Remus got off the bar and held out a hand to Sirius, who pulled him to the ground and kissed him. "Think we ought to be getting upstairs?"

"Think so." As they looked around the room they laughed.

"Did we do that?" asked Remus looking at the overturned chairs, broken bottle, and the bar. "Need to fix up a few things before we leave. The bar could use a thorough scrub." Remus looked at the two of them and laughed, "just like us."

It was early morning and the bar was opening by the time they settled upstairs in Sirius' 'bed', Sirius resting his head on Remus' chest. "I have a feeling we forgot to do something downstairs," Remus said with a yawn.

"Not to worry, luv. Everything looked fine." With that they fell fast asleep.


	4. Epilogue 1

**Title:** epilogue 1  
**Rating:** G  
**disclaimer** The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary:** Remus sits by the Weasley kitchen fire on Christmas eve, the year Siri went behind the veil.

**A/N **This is the first of three epilogues.

The fire in the grate shone against him, throwing shadows across the kitchen floor. Remus was alone, sitting in front of the fire, reading his memoirs. It was Christmas Eve or more accurately, very early Christmas morning and everyone else was asleep.

A rare winter thunderstorm was raging outside, each clap causing Remus pain. Tears ran down his cheeks. He tasted the saltiness and ached; ached for Siri. So far he had been quiet, unemotional, withdrawn. But the memory of Siri had become very vivid as he read, almost as if Siri were alive again.

A sudden burst of anger came upon him and he flung the book towards the fire, but missed, causing the book to fall to the ground. He ran forward and grabbed it, holding it tightly.

Taking his seat again, he kissed the book and laid it in his lap. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in his hands.

The thunder in the distance reminded him again of the morning when he and Sirius walked downstairs into the bar to find Mme Rosemerta picking up an open jar of lotion from the floor. Siri's spell no longer in place, the disk had begun playing "Thunder in the morning".

The song fit Siri perfectly. He was Remus' thunderstorm. Through the many years that they were apart, Remus always thought of Siri when he heard thunder. And now thoughts and emotions were brought forcefully back as the song played in his head.

_Woke up to the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning. __  
__But I won't worry. I won't wonder whether it was a warning. __  
__Though worldly rain can get you under and throw you ice milk world asunder. __  
__I can't help but like the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning. The sound of thunder…thunder in the morning._

He fought the urge to throw his head back and howl….he was screaming inside…the words still racing, as if Siri was speaking to him…hold on Remus, hold on. His soul reached out to Siri as it sang….

_Dark clouds told me you'd been burned. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone loves you. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone knows. __  
__Thunder in the morning sky reminds me of you. __  
__I don't know the reason why, but it just does. It just does_.

Laying his head on the book in his lap, Remus cried. He felt arms surround him and caress the dog star tattoo. A voice whispered in his ear, "Don't cry Remy. I'll take care of you, leave everything to me."

Sirius? He turned to look, but the room was empty. Siri? 'Only imagination' he thought as he shook uncontrollably. But the feeling of being held in Siri's arms remained.

"Goodbye my luv," Sirius and Remus whispered as one. "Goodbye for now."

_...Thunder in the morning. Written and Sung by Essra Mohawk..._


	5. Epilogue 2

**Title:** epilogue 2  
**disclaimer **The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary:** Remus sits by the Weasley kitchen fire on Christmas eve, the year Siri went behind the veil.

**A/N**This epilogue starts as the first, however the ending is very different.

The fire in the grate shone against him, throwing shadows across the kitchen floor. Remus was alone, sitting in front of the fire, reading his memoirs. It was Christmas Eve or more accurately, very early Christmas morning and everyone else was asleep.

A rare winter thunderstorm was raging outside, each clap causing Remus pain. Tears ran down his cheeks. He tasted the saltiness and ached; ached for Siri. So far he had been quiet, unemotional, withdrawn. But the memory of Siri had become very vivid as he read, almost as if Siri were alive again.

A sudden burst of anger came upon him and he flung the book towards the fire, but missed, causing the book to fall to the ground. He ran forward and grabbed it, holding it tightly.

Taking his seat again, he kissed the book and laid it in his lap. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in his hands.

The thunder in the distance reminded him again of the morning when he and Sirius walked downstairs into the bar to find Mme Rosemerta picking up an open jar of lotion from the floor. Siri's spell no longer in place, the disk had begun playing "Thunder in the morning".

The song fit Siri perfectly. He was Remus' thunderstorm. Through the many years that they were apart, Remus always thought of Siri when he heard thunder. And now thoughts and emotions were brought forcefully back as the song played in his head.

_Woke up to the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning. __  
__But I won't worry. I won't wonder whether it was a warning. __  
__Though worldly rain can get you under and throw you ice milk world asunder. __  
__I can't help but like the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning. The sound of thunder…thunder in the morning_.

He fought the urge to throw his head back and howl….he was screaming inside…the words still racing, as if Siri was speaking to him…hold on Remus, hold on. His soul reached out to Siri as it sang….

_Dark clouds told me you'd been burned. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone loves you. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone knows. __  
__Thunder in the morning sky reminds me of you. __  
__I don't know the reason why, but it just does. It just does._

Laying his head on the book in his lap, Remus cried. He felt arms surround him and caress the dog star tattoo. A voice whispered in his ear, "Don't cry Remy. I'll take care of you, leave everything to me."  
Sirius? He turned to look, but the room was empty. 'Only imagination' he thought as he shook uncontrollably. But the feeling of being held in Siri's arms remained.

But Remus wanted more than Sirius' arms around him, much more. He wanted all of Sirius around him.

"Get a grip on yourself," he said to himself.

But the urge was too strong. He had no power to stop it.

"You're too old for this," he said. After all he was still in the kitchen. He took his wand from his pocket, picked up the jar of lotion that Molly kept by the fire and walked over to the table.

His thoughts were now so wrapped in Siri that he was aware of nothing else. He lifted his robes, opened his trousers and slipped them off. As he laid back on the kitchen table, the fire shone on him, casting a huge shadow on the wall, showing him in silhouette. He stroked himself in the fashion that Sirius used to, yet he was not limber enough to caress himself as Siri did. He picked up the wand that he had laid next to him on the table and coated it with lotion. He lifted his legs higher, pulling his knees towards his face, still stroking himself………

She stood in the distance, hidden from view. The sight before her was causing her to become weak in the knees, excitement building between her legs. She opened her blouse and slipped off her jeans. Reaching down with her left hand, she moved the middle and ring finger in time with Remus' strokes. She bit her bottom lip as her fingers became moist……

When Remus picked up the wand, she could no longer hold back. She left her hiding place and ran to him, kissed his hand, and removed it from its task. Open mouthed, she took Remus in.

As if coming out of a trance, Remus looked down at her, confused and disoriented. This wasn't Siri. By the time he knew what was happening, she was sitting atop him. The wolf inside growled. This wasn't right. Who was this creature who thought she could tame him?

Remus turned her around and she got to her knees. He knelt over her but the angle felt funny and it felt as if there was a cushion between the two of them. Finally everything was situated correctly and he began to make love to her, the picture of Siri still in his mind. Every time he reached down to caress Siri, his fingers closed on thin air, startling him out of his memories and causing him to soften a bit. A long while later the lovemaking came to a crescendo and he shouted Siri's name.

Remus looked up, still confused, unsure of what had just happened.

Unbeknownst to the two, there was a third person in the room. Harry had been watching the entire act. "Professor Lupin, what just happened? What were you doing?"

"Um…..well Harry. We were just holding hands."

Harry didn't again see them holding hands until they held hands once more at the funeral.

…._Thunder in the morning. Written and Sung by Essra Mohawk_ ….


	6. Epilogue 3

**disclaimer** The characters do not belong to me. They belong to JKR and the various publishing houses. I use them as I wish.  
**Summary:** Remus sits by the Weasley kitchen fire on Christmas eve, the year Siri went behind the veil.

**A/N**: this epilogue starts as the first and second, however the ending is very different.

The fire in the grate shone against him, throwing shadows across the kitchen floor. Remus was alone, sitting in front of the fire, reading his memoirs. It was Christmas Eve or more accurately, very early Christmas morning and everyone else was asleep.

A rare winter thunderstorm was raging outside, each clap causing Remus pain. Tears ran down his cheeks. He tasted the saltiness and ached; ached for Siri. So far he had been quiet, unemotional, withdrawn. But the memory of Siri had become very vivid as he read, almost as if Siri were alive again.

A sudden burst of anger came upon him and he flung the book towards the fire, but missed, causing the book to fall to the ground. He ran forward and grabbed it, holding it tightly.

Taking his seat again, he kissed the book and laid it in his lap. Closing his eyes, he buried his face in his hands.

The thunder in the distance reminded him again of the morning when he and Sirius walked downstairs into the bar to find Mme Rosemerta picking up an open jar of lotion from the floor. Siri's spell no longer in place, the disk had begun playing "Thunder in the morning".

The song fit Siri perfectly. He was Remus' thunderstorm. Through the many years that they were apart, Remus always thought of Siri when he heard thunder. And now thoughts and emotions were brought forcefully back as the song played in his head.

_Woke up to the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning. __  
__But I won't worry. I won't wonder whether it was a warning. __  
__Though worldly rain can get you under and throw you ice milk world asunder. __  
__I can't help but like the sound of thunder, thunder in the morning._

_The sound of thunder…thunder in the morning._

He fought the urge to throw his head back and howl….he was screaming inside…the words still racing, as if Siri was speaking to him…hold on Remus, hold on. His soul reached out to Siri as it sang….

_Dark clouds told me you'd been burned. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone loves you. __  
__Let me reassure your soul that someone knows. __  
__Thunder in the morning sky reminds me of you. __  
__I don't know the reason why, but it just does. It just does._

Laying his head on the book in his lap, Remus cried. He felt arms surround him and caress the dog star tattoo. A voice whispered in his ear, "Don't cry Remy. I'll take care of you, leave everything to me."  
Sirius? He turned to look, but the room was empty. 'Only imagination' he thought as he shook uncontrollably. But the feeling of being held in Siri's arms remained.

Goodbye my luv," whispered Remus. "Goodbye for now."

A clap of thunder rattled the ground beneath him, causing Remus to shake from within. Vapor rose from the floor, engulfing him.

Had lightning hit the house setting something on fire? Was something burning? Yet this was vapor, not smoke. The vapor swirled around him, dampness soaking into every pore. There was a prickling on the back of his neck and goosebumps arose on his skin.

Again thunder cracked, echoing through the kitchen. Lightning bolts came from within the vapor cloud, lighting the room. The cloud thickened, becoming a dense, pea soup fog. Taking on a life of its own, the fog moved across him, rippling across his skin, stroking his chest. He looked down to see his shirt was open.

He shook his head violently, trying to come out of the daze, but to no avail. The shirt was slipped down his shoulders and his arms were forcefully straightened to allow it to be pulled off. At the same time he felt the dog star tattoo being stroked with something warm and wet. His ankle felt hot and the heat was traveling up his leg as the material was ripped away from him. A laugh echoed through the room.

"Going mad!" he thought. "I'm going mad." But strangely he didn't' care, being mad was better than what he had been. "Siri?" he asked softly, eyes watering. "Siri! Puleeez, I need you!"

Lightning shot from the cloud and cracked the floor at Remus' feet. The dog star tattoo burnt, blood droplets seeping through the skin where it was etched. A clap of thunder shook him off his seat and he fell to the floor, laying atop the wool rug. In an instant the mist was gone and Siri was kneeling beside him.

Without a thought Siri laid on top of his lover and kissed him, running his tongue along Remus' lips. 'Is this an echo?' Remus wondered. It surely couldn't be real. Did echo's have form this solid? But he didn't care, and echo was good enough for now. He reached up and cupped Siri's head with both his hands. Pulling Siri tightly to him, he parted his lips and Siri entered.

Sirius took Remus' right hand from behind his head and gently squeezed it as he moved it to the place where their tattoos met. Remus realized blood droplets were seeping from Sirius' tattoo as well, mixing with his own. Breaking from the kiss, Sirius looked into Remus' eyes. "I am real and I am with you. Not to worry luv. I'll take care of you. Leave everything to me."

Shaking, Remus tangled Sirius hair in his fingers, pulling his lover to him, biting his bottom lip as he kissed him. Remus turned him over, almost forcing his tongue into Sirius' mouth, his nails digging into Sirius' back. Sirius wrapped his arms tightly around Remus, who pushed away. A wrestling match ensued, the lovers rolling across the rug. Finally, Remus lay on top. Sirius smiled impishly. "Feeling better luv?"

Holding Sirius' face with his hands and resting on his elbows, Remus leaned down and sucked Sirius' lips, tasted his neck and began moving down his body…..

Sirius laid his head on Remus' chest, slowly calming as Remus ran his fingers through those curtains of dark hair. He was lying with Siri again and nothing else mattered. How he had missed this. His fingertips ran along the crevices of Sirius's ear and he tugged softly at his lobe. He was content to lie here forever.

"Wasn't my entrance spectacular Remy? I could have just appeared in the room, no fanfare, but where was the fun in that? Anyway, what would you have thought if I just appeared out of nowhere? You would have debated to youself whether it was me or not and then debated whether you should find out. This way you would know it was me, no time wasted on thinking through the situation. You had to go with your feelings…..Anyway, it was worth it to see the look on your face. Well, that and the fact that while I was in a more nondescript form, until I became myself again, until I was solid, I could tease you everywhere at the same time. Very enjoyable."

"I swear Siri, I think you came back as a teenager. But how did you do it? How did you come back to me?"

"It was a cinch, nothing to it." When Remus looked puzzled, Sirius continued.

"Death was very different than I thought it would be. There were two steps, the first step of my death was when I went through the veil. The second step was when it was decided where I would reside afterwards."

"What was it like?"

Sirius thought for a moment. "Not easy to describe. Think of a man covered in a black robe, hood hiding his face. He requested a game of chess, but I persuaded him against it. Instead, we played a game of poker, the outcome determining where I was to go next." Sirius smiled, a glint in his eye, "No need to tell you, I played a mean game of poker. The man was very surprised. Seems I was the first one ever to win one of these games."

"How did you manage to win?"

Sirius' smile widened and he snorted, "Marked cards."

"Damn, Siri," laughed Remus, "Leave it to you to find a way to cheat death."

"Well, not only did I get to come back, I won two gifts. He would return to me something that I once had in life, but had been lost. Well, I thought of all sorts of things I wanted back. I asked him to send James and Lily back, but he said that wasn't possible. He chose which gifts he would give, never asked me. Think he was adept at legilimency.

So, I have returned to you and I come bearing gifts."

Remus leaned down to kiss Siri's head and noticed that his hair was no longer thinned at the top. Seemed that gift number one was to give Sirius back the hair of his youth. "I liked that bald spot," Remus whined.

"You would," Sirius rolled his eyes.

"And Siri, what is the other?"

Sirius smiled impishly, "You remember saying that I came back as a teenager?" He winked and kissed Remus under the ear, "Care to have another go?"

_Thunder in the Morning - Written and Sung by Essra Mohawk._


End file.
